I have a long history of making my way behind the scenes in any given situation. In restaurants, I ask how something was made, and bam, I'm invited back to see how it's done (sometimes, I'm even given a knife and an apron!). At the latest professional soccer sporting event in my city, I started talking to the camera man and he showed me all kinds of things short of letting me operate the machinery. And in Bali, I made contact with so many people to inquire about how something was done or if I might be allowed to photograph something. The whole trip, a theme kept developing: Bali is the place for weddings. I met priests, brides, engagement couples, and people preparing for wedding ceremonies. When I was at Uluwatu on the cliffs, three couples were dressed in their bridal outfits for a sunset background shot. When I was at the Water Palace, two couples were using the temple grounds as their backdrops—one on the bridge, the other on an ancient foundation. When I was in the village Panglipuran, I had the fortune of meeting a couple who was announcing their engagement. And finally, after visiting the Tehen Temple, I saw a priest and his wife after he had just blessed a wedding in his village. By the end of my trip, I think I successfully created a wedding portfolio. And I don’t do weddings!
This photo was taken after the wedding ceremony had just ended and the crowd was making its way up the hill (and many of them hoping to speak with the priest and his wife – I figured that after this shot). While inside the care, I asked Edy (our awesome guide) if we could stop so I could ask to take this photograph!
Just so you know, in Bali, stopping right there at any given moment is not exactly an easy proposition because the roads are packed to the gills with cars and motorcycles. But stop Edy did, and he asked the priest and his wife if I might be able to take their photo, to which he and his wife smiled and sweetly acquiesced! They were so kind. When they asked where I was from, I replied “America” and they said “Obama!” They knew very little English and I knew very little Balinese. That’s why Edy was so incredibly helpful. I knew thank you “Terima Kasih” and the priest knew “where are you from?” But we all knew how to smile, to be glad to be in one another’s presence, and to know that the day was a happy one, especially since a wedding had just been performed. Note: I missed the bride by seconds as she was leaving, but I can say I saw her elaborate, and I’m talking amazingly beautiful Balinese elaborate, headpiece as she was entering her escape car—oh, the weddings in Bali—no one has time to sleep, especially the bride and groom. Edy filled me in later, but these events are 24/7 and involve the whole village.
But this moment, an official introduction to a priest of a local village and to his lovely wife right after a ceremony, well, that was really special. And I’m thankful our guide understood that stopping for moments like these meant more to me than seeing sites listed on our tours. For me, it’s about being in the moment. Unfortunately for those with me, I’m the last one to get to the destination, or the one miraculously behind a “flying fish” seafood counter at a massive fresh market when I’m supposed to be in the crowd with my loved ones—my husband is still laughing about that one (and I’ll give that story another time), or the one just talking to folks everywhere I go. It’s just the way I operate.
